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Now that you have had the opportunity to learn more about what the International Geophysical Year (IGY) is and how it impacted that time period, let's look more at our current world.
This page will examine how the IGY has changed our current world, our understanding of science and how much we actually remember about it. Science communication is essential for making events like the IGY memorable and it plays a role in our current knowledge. The International Geophysical Year has significant impacts on many aspects of society, including everyday products, scientific understanding, technologies we use, pop culture, and how we conduct scientific research.
Did you know this is from the IGY?
Did you know this is from the IGY?
The discoveries of the International Geophysical Year created a better understanding of science research and created the need for a variety of new technologies. Inventions from the 1950s and the IGY have led to further innovation, providing everyday products that humans use in current society. This includes a wide variety of things, the graphic on the left highlights some of these essential items and technologies.
Read More About How These Products Connect to IGY Discoveries Below
Read More About How These Products Connect to IGY Discoveries Below
Without the discoveries of the International Geophysical Year, we wouldn't have the luxuries and technologies that are used every day in our modern lives. Some of them are:
While our satellites today are much more advanced, the first ones were direct innovations of the IGY. The first satellites (Sputnik 1 and Explorer 1) were directly designed for and by the science of the IGY, after both the United States and the Soviet Union announced they planned to launch artificial earth satellites in 1955 (NASA, 2022). These first satellites have evolved into the technology we use today.
Spandex was created during the International Geophysical Year for the purpose of garments that required elasticity. While rubber was useful, it lacks durability and resistance to heat. Scientists needed materials like spandex for use in things like spacesuits in the Apollo mission. It was created by Dupont Company introduced Mylar and Lycra spandex fiber in 1959 (Smithsonian, n.d.).
Weather observation and satellites were a direct result of the meteorology and polar fields of the IGY. The research in 1957-1958 deepened human understanding of weather systems and the atmosphere. Weather satellites date back to 1958 when the Department of Defence began developing spacecrafts for meteorological purposes called TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite), which has led to modern-day early-warning systems and weather forecasting models (NOAA, 2007).
Products such as sleeping bags, sunglass lenses and aluminium foil have all evolved from inventions either during or after the IGY. Research on solar radiation and cosmic rays, long time periods of time in polar regions for research, along with many other factors contributed to the need for products with thermal insulation, heat resistance and the ability to block UV rays (NASA, 2025).
Want to learn more about the discoveries in detail?
Science Communication During the IGY
Science Communication During the IGY
Poles IGY
Poles IGY
NAS 1958
Oceans IGY
Oceans IGY
NAS 1958
Earth IGY
Earth IGY
NAS 1958
Sun and Earth IGY
Sun and Earth IGY
NAS 1958
Space IGY
Space IGY
NAS 1958
Weather and Climate IGY
Weather and Climate IGY
NAS 1958
Above are the IGY Posters by Herbert Danska. Image Credits: NAS, 1958
Check Out This Song!
Check Out This Song!
I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World) by Donald Fagen (1982)
Donald Fagen wrote a song about the IGY, and the general optimism at the time about the future with the rise in technology and scientific discovery.
IGY Communication
IGY Communication
The U.S. National Committee for the IGY was tasked with establishing information sharing about the program and remind the public that it was all about civilian science rather than top secret technology (Korsmo, 2004). There was a variety of communication used to make the public aware of the IGY and the research that came from this year. This included speeches and magazine articles, reports and financial support within classrooms for teacher training, educational films and posters. The films covered the IGY areas of study, including most popular titles The Nearest Star and The Restless Sphere both covering stories of the IGY (Korsmo, 2004). The posters cover major areas of study and were created by artist Herbert Danska with the NAS (National Academy of Science). Check out some articles, film posters and educational content !
Was The IGY Communication Effective? Impacts on How We Remember the IGY.
Was The IGY Communication Effective? Impacts on How We Remember the IGY.
Science Communication was essential during the IGY but faced persistent challenges. Limited funding for outreach, weak observation of media projects, and tension between scientific explanation and persuasive storytelling were some of the struggles. Pressures from the Cold War further limited media coverage, while they needed to maintain a balance between international science and political and security concerns (Korsmo, 2004). As a result, some communication efforts fell short of the real science or sacrificed clarity and impact. These issues with communication could play a significant role in why the public did not remember the IGY as years passed.
Read About Some Major Issues With IGY Educational Films
Read About Some Major Issues With IGY Educational Films
Despite the many efforts of communication during the IGY, some did not have the intended affect. A comparison of the film and print media show the film project has a variety of problems, including poorly planned scripts and goals, overlapping actors and budget issues. Joesph Odinshaw worked to coach scientists on how to engage Congress, the media and the public by framing IGY science as both exciting and essential during the Cold War. But due to the focus being pulled from the film it had significant shortcomings. Oversight of the film was minimal, creating inaccuracies, frequent changes in production and major production delays. There was criticism from solar physicist Walter Orr Roberts and the film needed an emergency salvage operation to continue. After review and lots of work the film was completed but it was less effective overall (Korsmo, 2004).
Current and Historical Pop Culture
Current and Historical Pop Culture
Image Credits: (BBC Earth, n.d.), (Oppenheimer 2023) , (IMDB, 1962)
Above is a variety of Pop Culture inspired by science discoveries and the hope for the future. This shows not only the inspiration created by the International Geophysical Year abut also the importance of science communication. There is the BBC Earth logo, the program that originally published IGY films, still creating earth science content. The Jetsons, a show from 1962, that highlights a family in a very futuristic world, was inspired by the emerging technologies and science from the IGY. The recent movie Oppenheimer (2023) tells the story of the creation of the first nuclear weapons during WWII, and shows how science communication has evolved in entertainment.
We conducted a search on the Brock Library Web of Science Database to see how frequently the International Geophysical Year appears in the content. There was a total of 5321 results. The chart here shows its frequency in the most relevant years, 1956, 1957 and 1958 which surround the timing of the IGY and then 2022 to present. There were a number of results during the years between but these ones showed the most change in how often the International Geophysical Year appears. It is surprising how often the IGY appears in current scientific literature but how little known it is.
IGY Logo (NASA, 2022)
Life Without the IGY
Life Without the IGY
Without the International Geophysical Year, everyday life would likely be shaped by much slower scientific progress and far less global coordination in understanding our planet. Technologies such as weather forecasting, satellite navigation and climate monitoring would have developed more gradually and not been as advanced today without the shared data and networks developed during the IGY. We would not have international treaties, like those mentioned in the negatives and positives pages, that shape how nations collaborate and conduct research. The IGY brought countries together during a tense Cold War period and science may have remained more fragmented and less accessible. Our society would likely not be the way it is without the IGY.
Our Future: From IGY to IPY-5
Our Future: From IGY to IPY-5
IASC and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) have confirmed the preparation for a 5th International Polar Year (IPY) in 2032-2033. Organizing this year, after 25 years since the 4th IPY in 2007-2008 proves the need for this international collaboration on research to benefit not only the poles but the globe. This will be an opportunity to tackle the biggest challenges in polar and geophysical research (IASC, 2022). IPY-5 aims to advance polar research focusing on the change in the Arctic and Antarctic (IPY, 2022). The continuation of the IPY are important for international collaboration and essential research on Earth. Maybe there is hope for more collaborative research globally, uniting countries and increasing our knowledge of Earth.
IPY-5 2032-2033 logo (SCAR News, 2024)
Further Reading
Further Reading
A history of environmental satellite systems | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA. (2007). https://www.noaa.gov/heritage/resource-collections/history-of-environmental-satellite-systems
Grabow, J. (2024, October 17). International Polar year 2032-2033 - updated concept note now published. SCAR. https://scar.org/scar-news/ipy-updated-concept-note
International Polar year 2032-33 - International Arctic Science Committee. (2022). https://iasc.info/cooperations/international-polar-year-2032-33
Korsmo, F. L. (2004). Shaping Up Planet Earth: The International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) and Communicating Science Through Print and Film Media. Science Communication, 26(2), 162–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547004270076
Martin, D. C. (1958). The International Geophysical Year. The Geographical Journal, 124(1), 18-29. https://doi.org/10.2307/1790562
NASA. (2019). Space-age insulator evolves to replace plastic and save weight. NASA. https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/t_3.html
NASA. (2022, May 16). 65 years ago: The International Geophysical Year Begins. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/65-years-ago-the-international-geophysical-year-begins/
NASA. (2025, February 14). 7.0 thermal control. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute/sst-soa/thermal-control/
National Institutes of Health. (1959). Memorandum from Lloyd v. Berkner to Hugh Odishaw - digital collections - National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101584906X15726-doc
The Fifth international polar year (IPY-5). IPY5. (2022). https://ipy5.info/
“The restless sphere: The story of the international geophysical year” (1957). Kinorium. (1957, June 30). https://en.kinorium.com/11407020/
Smithsonian. (2016, July 12). Armstrong spacesuit. National Air and Space Museum. https://www.airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/armstrong-suit
Uri, J. (2023, September 7). 70 years ago: Scientists establish the International Geophysical Year. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/history/70-years-ago-scientists-establish-the-international-geophysical-year/
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